The Kaleidoscope. By the Hon. Mrs. Dowdall. (Duckworth end Co.
6s.)—This is, we believe, Mrs. Dowdall's first attempt at fiction-writing. She has many of the qualities of a good novelist ; she can manage a fully crowded stage, and yet not obscure the individuality of her men and women ; she can give brilliance to her supers and to her minor characters, to Mrs. Bateman who keeps the shop, and to George the plumber, who is always in the background, but always convincing and quietly humorous ; she can write capital dialogue, and she has a trick of light-hearted satire. Moreover, there are few of us who do not enjoy seeing a shrewd hit scored on the weak points of our acquaintances ; and Mrs. Dowdall scores in- cessantly. No one is left in peace ; we are all robbed of our little dignity and made to look silly. So her book is thoroughly amusing ; but we should like to convince her that she only spoils her writing by allowing plumbers to turn out to be dukes, and the most incredible adventures to come about, and that the right scope for her art is real life.
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